Fuel-feeding device



Nov. 25, 1930. D. R. YOUNGER AFUEL FEEDING DEVICE Filed March 1o, 1928 2 sheets-sheet` lima? Nov. 25, 1930.

YOUNGER FUEL FEEDING DEVICE Filed March l0, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A TTORNEY Patented Nov; 25, 1930 VFUNIF'TEADSTATS PATNTjoFFICE DWEN n. `YoUNeIna, or

WOODLAND, CALIFORNIA, AssIGNOn OF Oi'vIaIIA,Lt` V'I'o EARL L1" v YOUNGER, O11 WOODLAND, CALIFORNIA `IsUEL-IiEnnINa nnvIcul d Application filed March 10, 1928. Serial No. 2760,556l'` The, invention relates toa tank `arranged to deliverliquid fuel by gravity to `a carburetor or the like,`and which is arranged to receive the fuel from vacuum means. u l

A general object of the-invention is to prof vide animproved tank of the class Vdescribed a lower supply tank by in which the intakeof fuel to the filling chamber thereof is controlled bya float.`

" Amorespecific object of the invention' is v to provide a tank of the class described in `which only a single port need be float-controlled, thereby permitting the use of anextremely simple float valve structure. Another object of the `invention is tO provide a tank of the character described in which the control means provided therein in- `,volves a" minimum number of moving parts.

\ A further object of the invention is to pro# vide a tank of the class described 'which is arranged to be filled byand uponthe turning over of an engine withwhich it is associated,

`whereby no need for priming it 'ever occurs.` i "The invention possesses other objects and `features offad'vantage, some of which, 'with' the foregoing, will be set forth lin the following description of a preferred' form ofthe invention which is illustrated in the accom@ panying drawings and in-which,`

Figure 1 is a side'view showing a tank in?, corporating the invention voperatively associated with an internalcombustion` engine and the supply tank therefor.`

, Figure 2 is` an` enlargedverticalmidfse` tionalview through the tank.

Figures 3 and 4 are viewsgsimilar to Figure 2 but9with the operative parts of the device'disposed as` for different' parts-of the Ioperative cycle thereof.. 40

Figure 5 `is a vertical mid-sectional "view through a tank having incorporated `therewith amodiiied form-of the invention.

\ Asv illustrated, the vacuum tank 6 incorpo#` nrating my invention is associated with the gasoline engine 7 of a motor'vehicle, said engine includinga carburetor 8 and an Intake mann v fold 9 foi-conveying ther carburetted fuel fromthe carburetor tothe engine cylinders.

"The tank' is arrangedl to be`mounted` at a point ofthe vehicle which will always be dis-V posed somewhat above Lthe levelof'the carburetor, and ishere shown mounted on the vehicle dashV 11 whereby'fuel" may discharge therefrom by gravity to the carburetor 8 through a connecting conduit 12. 'Asupply conduit 13 connects thejtank 6` with a fuel supply tank 14 disposed at some distance from andbelow the carburetor, `and thefor mer tank is connected `with the intake mani fold 9 by means of `aconduit` 15`whereby the 15() suction in the manifold may be communicated tothetank. f i' A. Y Apartitionl dividesthetank` to define therein 'an upper chamber 17 anda flower chamber18`.` Theupperchamber 17 isc'onnectedy with the conduit 15ata port 19in the .v top Ofthetankfand with the supply conduit 13S at a tank port 20 slightly be'lowthe level of the port 19. Connection of the 4discharge conduit 12to the tankA is made atthe bottom 70 ofthe chamber 18. It will thus be clear that the upper chamberl? comprises an intake" or v vacuum chamber-,while the lower chamberlS `is a discharge chamber, and referenceto said chambers will hereinafter be made accord-,75

ingly." v. ,i

' Extending downwardly into the chamber 18 from a perforation -21 Xin the partition 16 is a pipe 22said pipe being provided at the lower end thereof witha normally closedone `way valve 23 arranged, under certain conditions to be hereinafter described, topermit Headed pins 25 extend from `the valve-seat i o0 l i through registering openings in the vplate 24 Vwhereby the flatter may be retainedin opposed relation tothe valve seat,itlbein`g noted thatl though the present valve structure constitutes a flapper valve,othertypes"of one "95 y wayvalves might be used in lieu thereof.`

[Mounted intheintake chamber 17 isa member 26 `providing"therein a `float wellQ'?` and having upperand llower. end wallsfQS u fand 29 respectively. A float Slis disposed in` 100 the well 27, said float being provided with axially aligned rods 32 and 33 extending upwardly and downwardly therefrom and slidably engagedin openings 34 .and 35 respecf'ively provided in the end walls 28 and 29 of the member 26, whereby the float may be guided for rectilinear' and vertical movement in the cavity 27. An opening 36 is provided in a side of the member 26 adjacent the top thereof whereby the well 27 is connected with the cavity of the tank chamber 17 in which it is disposed. The lower opening 35 is arranged to loosely receive the rod 33 whereby a passage for the flow of liquid along the rod is provided, the effective area of such passage being, however, considerably less than is that of the opening 36 whereby liquid may be supplied to the cavity 27 through the opening 36 t a faster rate than it may escape through the opening 35. The wall 28 is perforated. for connecting the chamber portions above and below it and functions as a splashing` baffle as well as to provide the guide opening 34.

The rod 32, it will now be noted, is axially aligned with the port 19 at the top of the tank, and said port is provided with a valve seat 37 at the inner end thereof with which a valve plug 38 provided at the upper end of the rod 32 is arranged to engage when the float is in a -raised position thereof. As shown, the seat 37 is conical and the extremity of the rod 32 is conically tapered for providing the plug 38. In this way, the necessary valve structure is provided in an extremely simple manner and involves a minimum of parts.

The lower chamber 18 is vented from a side thereof and above the level of the fla-pper valve 23 by means of a pipe 39 which extends to a level somewhat above that of the top of the chamber 17. The pipe 39, it is noted, is not only arranged to insure the maintenance of atmospheric pressure in the lower or discharge chamber 18 of the tank but is also I' arranged to provide for the relief of the vac- Auum' in the intake chamber 17 created by a flow of fuel therefrom through the flapper valve 23 when the suction port 19 is closed by means of the plug 38. Accordingly, and as shown, a small port 41 is provided in the tank partition 16, preferably at a point thereof adjacent the inlet'end of the pipe 39, such port constantly serving topermit an upward flow of fluid from the upper portion ofthechamber 18. The port 41, for reasons to be hereinafter set forth, is extremely small, and is therefore preferably protected from clogging by means of an annular guard flange 42 mounted on the partition at the port 41 to eX- tend upwardly therefrom with its borein registration with the port 41.

The structure now described operates in the following manner. Assuming the conditions shown in Figure 2in which the suction port 19 is open, the suction in the manifold and suction conduit 15 operates to create a partial vacuum in the intake chamber 17, the result of this action being that the iiapper valve 23 is held shut and the liquid is drawn from the supply tank 14 through the conduit 13. and so into the chamber 17. This flow of liquid into the chamber 17 is arranged to continue until and following the recurrence of an overflow of liquid from the chamber 17 through the openin g 3G atthe top of the member26 and so into the fioat well 27 of such member. As the level rises in the chamber 17' the liquid will tend to seep upwardly through the opening 35 and around the rod therein, but as the float overlies such opening, such seepage is relatively small. After the liquid is running into the well 27, the latter is arranged to fill to such a level that the 'lioat is raised to finally-dispose the valve plug 38 in the seat 37 and so seal the suction port 19.

lVhile the foregoing operative steps of the device are being effected, and prior to the complete closing of the suction port, a certain amount of air is allowed to pass upwardly through the liquid in the chamber 17 from the port 41, such flow of air being so slight, however, as to not appreciably influence the effectiveness of the manifold suction pull to draw the liquid into the chamber 17 through the supply conduit 13, it being noted that this p3 air flow decreases slightly as the liquid level in the chamber 17 rises on account of the added resistance of the liquid to such flow. When the suction port 19 is almost closed, as shown in Figure 3, the effective suction in the chamber 17 becomes so reduced that a full stream no longer Hows into the chamber 17, yet the full suction of the manifold operates to urge the plug 38 to its seat, with the result that just as the suction in the chamber 17 ceases Vto be effective on account of the relief afforded by the air from the port 41, the float and plug complete their upward travel with an accelerated movement which is considerably faster than the previous upward movement thereof.

lVith ,the suction port closed whereby the liquid in the chamber 17 is no longer held against discharge into chamber 18 by reason of the manifold suction, t'ie only force tending to prevent a discharge of such liquid through the pipe 22 and iapper valve 23 is that of the atmosphere against the latter valve, but this is balanced by the admission of air from the chamber 18 through the port 41, and the liquid therefore flows from the chamber 17 into the chamber 18 through the valve 23 at a rate determined by the size of the port 41. As the liquid level in the chamber 17 lowers, so is the liquid in the float well allowed to escape through the opening 35, the latter continuing until suoli aA time as the float lowers suiciently to lower the plug 38 from the seat 37 and so restore the operalim . pending onthe rate of operation of the en# tiveness of the intake manifold suction whereby the foregoingcycle may be repeated.

It will thusbe clearthat thelower chamber 18 is arranged to intermittentlyreceive charges from the chamber 17 at` a rate determined in part by the size of the opening'tl and inpart by the `suction of the manifold, the latter degine which in turn controls the rate at which the fuel is withdrawn from the chamber `18.

Obviously, the relative sizes of the various ports of the device would be such as wouldl insure a constant supply of fuel in the chamber 18, any excess merely tending to slow` downthe discharge from the chamber 17 and so eliminating any necessity for areturn or overflow pipe to the supply tank.

.It will now be noted that an important4 feature `of the present vacuum tank structure lies in the fact that the/parts thereof are so related that the tank, even though empty when an engine is turned over for starting, is selffilling under these conditions whereby it need Y never be pri`iiied,7 as is necessary with most vacuum tank structures now "fo-und on the market. Furthermore, the provision ofthe -fioat well Q7 not only assists in making pos-V sible the quick closing of the suction port referred to, but is also an important factor in providing for asmooth and uniform Operation of the device, particularly whenit is used for controlling the yfuel supply forin-v ternal -combustion engines installed on ve-` `partition 53 is provided with a perforated sleeve 5S extending upwardly therefrom to provide at itsLupper end a guideway for the lower rod 59 ofthe float 54.

In this manner, Va simplified structure re suits, such structure beingotherwise formed and operating as the embodiment firsti described.

I claim: 1. In a fuel-feeding system,*a` tank providf. ing a vacuum chamber having a one-way pressure controlled discharge,Y valve therefor, means for producing a partial vacuum in said `chamber for drawing liquid thereiiito from an external source, means periodically opera.- tive to render said vacuum producing means inoperative with respect to said chamber, and means providing for a restricted and constant communication of said chamber with the atmosphere through the liquid in said chamber.

2. In a fuel feeding system, a tank providingl a chamber having a gravity discharge sure controlled valve in said passage, a liquid supply tank, means for producing a partial lvacuum din said chamber for drawing liquid thereinto from said supply tank, a second valve controlling the operativeness of said first means with respect to said chamber, a float in said chamber for controlling said sccond valve, and a constantly open air intake v at the bottom of said chamber, said intake being of a size to permit a creation of the par` tial vacuum in said chamber when said sec-` ond valve is open, and to admit air through the liquid in the chamber for permitting a controlled 4gravity flow of liquid from the chamber when said second valve is`closed.

3; In aliquidlifting system, a tank providing a chamber having a gravity discharge passage at the bottom thereof, a one-way pressure controlled valve in said passage, a source of liquid, means for producing a partial vacuumin said chamber for drawing liquid thereinto,` from said source thereof, a second valve controlling the operativeness of said first means with respect to said chamber,

means in said chamber for controlling said second valve in accordance with the quantity of liquid therein, and a constantly open air intake at the bottom of said chamber for admitting air into said chamber through the liquid therein.

4:.In a liquid lifting` device,\a suctionchamber, means to intermittently produce a suction in said chamber for lifting liquid 4thereinto, and means providing a constantly open `air intake for the admission of air to the chamber and through the liquid therein when suction obtains in said chamber.

5. In a liquid lifting system, a vacuum chamber having a pressure-controlled port for the gravity discharge of liquid therefrom, means providing an exhaust port for the chamber, a valve operative at said port,

a cup member mounted in said first chamber and providing a float Well, said cup member `provided with constantly open intake and discharge ports at the top and bottom thereof respectivelyA for receiving and discharging liquid from and to said vacuum chamber, said lower port being smaller than said upper port, and a ioat in said float well controlling said valve. i

In testimonywhereof, I affix my signature.

VDWEN R. YOUNGrER.`

`passage at thebottom thereof, a one-wayv pressis` Vioo

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